Nothing wrong with being proud of your new baby; brag away!  However if you’re going to show off Junior, why not make the viewing a memorable experience.  Scrap booking isn’t just for vacation photos.  Think about it; a baby story book is a scrap book. Rather than page after page of your little blessing looking up, then looking sideways, then looking left, and then right – make it a presentation.  They’ll ask to see your photos!

Remember you’re telling a story. In addition to the crib card and ankle bracelet from the hospital to add to your baby story book, think about what else would help reflect your feelings about your bundle of joy?  Perhaps a poem, quote or favorite saying would give your scrap book an added dimension.  How about your initial thoughts the first time you ever saw your baby?  Did you think a slice of heaven had just fallen into your arms?

Your baby brag scrap book can serve a couple of purposes.  First you want others to share in your joy; so you want them to be thrilled to see your latest pictures.  You also want to create memories- for yourself and for the baby shown in the photos. Be sure to include photos of family and friends holding your baby.  As adorable as your bundle of joy is, add a little variety.  Your little one will still have the spotlight.

True scrap bookers love to use stickers.  The call-out stickers make amusing add-ons to your baby brag book.  Since babies can’t talk anyway, adding the ‘thoughts in a bubble’ is a cute way to show your impression of what your baby could be thinking!  Gets a chuckle every time!

No more dull pages full of plain baby photos!  Have fun with creating your masterpiece.  Keep in mind you’re creating an experience for those who look at your baby story book, as well as creating memories to cherish.

Being pregnant for the first time is quite an adventure, especially when it happens sooner than expected. A few weeks after an intoxicatingly fun wedding reception, surprise! We’re having a baby!

After the initial shock and wide-eyed-what-do-we-do-now looks, we got used to the idea and the excitement for this life-changing event began to grow, as did my belly. And it’s quite a shock on your system. There’s the back pain, swelling ankles and itchy stretch marks. But when you feel and see your baby move and shift, those symptoms disappear for the moment.

But, you can never forget the first sharp pain of a contraction, especially when it happens while eating dinner in a nice restaurant and then trying to make it to the car without causing a commotion. Luckily, the hospital was just down the street, and as it turns out, I was there for two days while our baby slept through labor. This, of course, caused the doctors some concern and decided to do a c-section.

And after what seemed like hours, we heard and saw our new baby, pink and chubby with squinty eyes. Six days later it was time to go home to try and settle into a new routine. When you leave the hospital they want you to bring in the car seat and the baby leaves fastened in it. When we arrived at home we wondered if we could really take care of a baby because we had forgotten to fasten the car seat into the car!

This jolted us into the reality that it wasn’t just the two of us anymore. And after all the baby showers and visits from friends and family were over, we could finally relax and focus on loving and learning from this new little person in our lives.

As learned in this story, when you first become pregnant, you have all kinds of emotions. Take this time and use it to come up with the perfect baby scrapbooking idea. Turn the emotions into words and design your first baby scrapbooking page.

Let’s start with the hospital baby photographer

Basically what happens is a photographer will take your baby’s picture in a small side room where the hospital has found for them. Inside hospital lighting may not always be the greatest.

They put the baby in the hospital baby bed, lying on back, and Click! It’s done…you now have your baby photo.

Hmmm….well that doesn’t sound very hard. So why do we all get those photos done?

Because your baby is the most precious gift from God and you want to be able to cherish that moment forever.

And that’s why we pay the photographer the big bucks.

Here on some tips on getting the best picture from the photographer.

• Make sure the baby is wearing a brightly colored outfit
• No patterns, just solid colors
• Ask to have the baby’s blanket put underneath them
• Your own special photo shoot
• Photography is such a fun way to express yourself and I’m sure you have someone in your life that enjoys it as a hobby.
• So…..why not ask that person to come and do your own special photo shoot with your baby?
• Posed shots are nice, but the candid ones show what moms new life is like with the new baby. Get your friend to follow you around the hospital and take pictures in the nursery too.
• Here are some shots you won’t want to miss
• Close picture of mom kissing baby
• Mom holding baby up near face, nice smiling shot
• Wrapping baby up in blanket
• The hospital room
• Mom lovingly looking down at baby, with hand on cheek
• Do same pose looking down at baby, with hand on cheek with dad
• Mom holding baby looking down with dad peering over moms shoulder
• Mom, Dad and baby
• Baby laying down on bed with mom sitting behind looking at baby
• Mom holding baby’s hands and stretching them up over his head
• Mom laying on her side with baby laying next to her
• Mom nursing baby at distance or close up
• Mom changing baby’s clothes
• Mom bathing baby in the nursery
• In rocking chair with baby

What I suggest (if you do not already have one) is getting a digital camera; you sure do save a lot of money this way.

Film is so expensive now days! With digital cameras, you can take as many baby photos as you want and delete the ones you don’t.

You can save all the ones you like but only print out the ones you need, therefore you don’t waste any cash.

If you do not have a digital camera yet and are planning to get one, I suggest you buy a larger memory as well.

When you buy one, it will come with a very small memory but you will realize that fifty pictures can be gone at a drop of a hat, so I suggest you buy one to save you the trouble of coming back.

Since we are preserving time and memories, you might want to try the aged look. Sepia is a good one to use.

If you don’t know, sepia is like black and white but with tans or beiges. You might just like the way your baby photos turn out!

If you have a digital camera, you have the choice of turning the pictures black and white or sepia within the camera.

If you do not have a digital camera, you can just drop off your film and ask them to print them off as sepia.

Looking back on the pages you have finished, it probably brings you back to the time when the pictures were taken.

Enjoy preserving your baby’s time with pictures!

• Ok the baby is born, you’ve held your sweet little angel and now it’s time to take lots, I mean TONS of pictures!
• The Birth
• Everyone is different when it comes to the birth of your baby. You’ll need to decide how and where you want pictures taken.
• If you want any at all. For me I didn’t have any pictures until they were cutting the cord.
• The doctor or midwife holding the newly born baby
• Dad cutting the cord
• Dad holding the baby for the first time
• Mom holding the baby for the first time
• Picture of baby in bed with nurses around
• Baby getting cleaned and wrapped up
• Picture of the overall birthing room
• Mom and Dad with baby
• Remember when your baby is born you only have one chance to get certain shots.
• You can’t ask the nurse to, “Please stop for a minute and post for my picture.” So be sure to keep your camera handy.
• Picture of baby all wrapped up
• Close up of face
• Baby sleeping
• Baby crying
• Each visitor holding the baby
• Each visitor with mom and baby
• Nice picture of the flowers
• Picture of gifts, teddy bears, etc.
• Any hand made blankets by grandma
• Grandparents with baby
• Aunts/Uncles with baby
• Special nurse holding baby (get the name of the nurses for your journaling)
• Doctor holding baby (get name for scrapbook)
• Alot of your pictures are taken when the baby is first born and you are absolutely exhausted. And those first pictures will show it….

Labor & Delivery

• You’ll want to get pictures for sure of the mom to be, but don’t forget hubbie, and any other coaches you may have.
• Like your close friend, doula, or midwife. They are a big part of your life too and you don’t want to miss their smiling face for your album.
• Get a picture of mom/dad calling the hospital
• Mom getting into the car
• In the birthing room
• Mom eating ice chips
• Mom getting wheeled around in the wheelchair
• Walking around in the hallways
• Picture with a friendly nurse(s)
• Empty bed where baby will lay
• Dad in rocking chair
• Mom in rocking chair
• Mom looking out a window in the room
• Mom peeking her head out of the shower

Some great ideas for a scrapbook revolving around your baby’s first
summer include photos of swimming or outdoor play, interaction between
baby and siblings or pets, and pictures of facial expressions while eating
a first snow cone or ice cream.  Babies have a wonderful time throwing
balls and chasing after the family pet.

Keep your camera within easy reach and make sure to bend over when
taking photos so that you are on the same level as your baby.  Some of the
best pictures to include in your summer with baby scrapbook are those
that are taken while your child is unaware of your presence.  Water toys
and sprinklers are great fun for baby and the photos you can capture
will make outstanding and funny additions to your scrapbook.

Family picnics and reunions are also great times to snap photos of your
baby.  Relatives and other children playing with your baby make great
memories that can be preserved in your scrapbook.  Your baby’s first
summer is a magical time that should be remembered throughout the years.
Keep your camera and notebook handy so you will have plenty of material
to include in your scrapbook.

Your scrapbook could begin as
soon as the very day the proud parents-to-be announce that a new addition
to the family will be arriving soon.   Here a few ideas that will make
your Mommy and baby scrapbook as special as the relationship between
mother and child.

Photos of the mom-to-be while awaiting the birth of the child can make
for wonderful memories.  Baby shower pictures, shower invitations, and
guest lists make great additions to a scrapbook.  Notes from prenatal
doctor visits and accounts of the experiences of the mother during
pregnancy are excellent ideas as well.

After the birth of the new baby, you
could include birth announcements, photos of the new mom and baby
leaving the hospital, and the reaction of siblings to the new baby. All
would be great ways to preserve these special memories.
As the baby grows and moves from one stage in his or her development to
another, take plenty of pictures and keep a journal handy to write down
special occasions and milestones that can be included in your Mommy and
baby scrapbook.  Pictures of a new mother holding her baby for the
first time make especially powerful additions to a scrapbook.

Remembering visitors and gifts that were received at the time of the
birth will be fond remembrances of the very special times that go hand in
hand with the birth of a child.  Preserve your memories and a scrapbook
devoted especially to Mommy and baby.  It will no doubt become a
treasured family heirloom.

You could start with an empty scrapbook and as the birth of the child
approaches, include pages about the first time the child’s heartbeat was
heard; the first time the mom-to-be felt the baby move, and perhaps
pictures from sonograms.  After the birth of the child you can present the
scrapbook to the grandparents and include plenty of blank pages that
can be filled with photos and memorabilia from various stages of
development in the child’s life.  Make sure to send new pictures, artwork, and
journal entries to the grandparents on a regular basis so these items
can be added to the scrapbook immediately.

Great additions to a scrapbook for grandparents include birthday photos
and invitations, written accounts of the child’s first day at school,
the appearance of the first tooth, the first step, the first words, and
any other especially fond memories.  You can create an online scrapbook
as well that will allow grandparents to view the newest photos of their
grandchild instantly.  The new grandparents in your life will be
touched and thrilled by the effort and thought that went into creating a
scrapbook especially for them.

In beginning your baby and daddy scrapbook, make sure to include photos
of the new father in the hospital shortly before and after the birth of
the baby.  Also, amusing anecdotes of midnight trips to the store to
satisfy the cravings of the mom-to-be, the weight gained by the dad-to-be
during the pregnancy, and photos of Daddy assembling baby furniture
will make excellent additions to your scrapbook.  If you can capture on
film the exact moment the father sees his child for the first time, by
all means do so.  This will be a treasured memory for both dad and baby
in the years to come.

Photos of Dad’s first attempt at dressing or changing the baby are
always amusing and the proud look on Dad’s face at his child’s first
birthday party will make wonderful additions to your daddy and baby
scrapbook.  Photos taken when Dad least expects it will capture the special
relationship between father and child.  Pictures of the two napping or
playing will make your scrapbook a remembrance of the very special times
that are shared between father and child.

You may also want to include bands from cigars that are handed out
after the birth of a child, photos of the father and the paternal
grandparents, and pictures of the new dad as a child to show any resemblance
between himself and the new baby.  Be as creative as you want in making
your daddy and baby scrapbook.  Both father and child will treasure it in
the years to come.